When you are installing a cam on an LT1 and you have to
remove the radiator you have to disconnect the A/C lines
from the radiator . If you do this you lose all the freon in the
lines . Is there a way to get by this so when you're done with
the cam install you dont have to recharge the A/C system ?
Thanks

 

nope...recharging the system is not that bad though i charge like 100 bucks to vac and charge with 2.5lbs of 134

 

If you open the a/c lines, then you will need a recharge. I was able to do my cam install by carefully moving the condenser out of the way. I did not have to open the lines or discharge it. Complete cam swap info on my Tech Page.

 

you can try to move it out of the way like shoebox did or disconnect it. its pretty simple to recharge the a/c though and mine definitely needed to be recharged because the a/c will freeze you out of the car now and that was well over a year ago when i did my cam swap.

 

yep as everyone said if you move the condensor (radiator type thing) out of the way you don't have to recharge. I looked at mine and it looked like an expensive part to fix and replace so I just loosened the screw and let it bleed out into the air, which is a federal fine I've come to find out since its bad for the ozone. If you bend the pipe to move the condensor you chance the risk at breaking it, and it will cost even more to recharge. It took two cans of freon to refill mine plus I bougth a nice gauge for it that yo use to fill the AC total cost was 28 bucks.

 

Actually r134a isn't bad at all. They sell it in cans as "cryo spray" to chill stuff down to ~-62. You just throttle it out of the can into the atmosphere and your stuffs chillled. Your AC works the same, but in a closed system with heat sinks.
Now old r12 refrigerant is bad for the ozone and you shouldn't vent that, although i have by accident in junkyards where everything was SUPPOSED to be already drained ect.

I would just bend the condensor up out of the way per shoeboxes site. Lean it up on the brakeline stuff. I would also recommend putting a trashbag around it before you place it up because it has a tendency to drop a lot of little bits of crap if you bump it. I also vaccumed mine, just be gentle on the fins.

Maybe you want to add the trashbag tip shoebox I also found that my crank had a mark on it that coincided with the hole in the balancer hub, so no it's not keyed, but it is marked. And if your doing updates you might want to clarify that harmonic balancer puller (req) and 3 jaw puller (as req) issue. I bought a harmonic balacner puller for nothin, but thats ok, thanks again for the guide.